Holly House 2015 3 day event was a huge success

We did it! Holly House 2015 was a HUGE success - the best we've ever had (yes, every year keeps getting better and better). One of our clients shared from the heart, "Thank you for saving our Christmas. We couldn't have done it without you. All of the volunteers who assisted me were wonderful. I'm so very thankful that there are still groups and organizations out there."  ~ Grace Marie, Holly House 2015 Client  In addition to meeting our goal of serving over 1,800 low-income children in the Edmonds School district and giving them the joy of Christmas (plus necessities), we had tremendous support from the community.

We began by being granted use of a giant retail space (FOR FREE) from Development Services of America and their wonderful representative, Jayme Bartholomew. Then set up began Thursday and continued through Saturday night. Clients came to shop on Sunday and left with arms full of gifts and necessities for each of their children. Logistically, it was the smoothest event to date: with staggered start times for each school, we ran on time until just the close of the day, and clean up ran smoothly and on time. THANK YOU to each of the volunteers who helped to make this happen, many returning each day for more work. A note from one of our volunteers: It's always so amazing to see how Holly House comes together on the event day. A big empty space transposed from a room full of boxes being organized into a beautiful gift giving display for our families! - Ingrid

Here are just some of the highlights.

Families shopping at the hats and scarves booth

• Over 1,800 children supported during our 2015 Holly House event.
• We had over 540 volunteers, a portion of them children (more volunteers than last year!)
• We had event sponsors this year to help cover costs (Thank you to: Technical Systems, Inc., Edmonds Daybreak Rotary, Lynnwood Rotary, Christian Davis, Windermere Foundation, S AL Wilcox American Legion, Absolute Mortgage, Golden Insurance LLC, Aramark, U Haul, Lowes, S.W. Feldt Construction, Steve Esola, Greenhaus Portable Restrooms, and Development Services of America.)
• We had over 25 groups donate their time and resources, including Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, sports teams, Rotary clubs, and business groups. 
• After unpacking 30 pallets of toys donated from a toy company, we realized 90% of the toys were for boys. A plea went out via social media, and the girl toys poured in from the community.
• Just before the event, we discovered that a grant for books that we received for 7,000 books would not reach us in time to give them out during the Holly House event. We canceled the grant and did another appeal to our community of giving and caring people. The outpouring of donations on short notice was incredible, and the kids received books. 



One group of volunteers during set up

• Local schools and businesses held toy and sock/underwear/PJ drives for us and delivered their donations Friday and Saturday, boosting our inventory substantially while at the same time eliminating our need for storage of those items. 
• Our supply of teen donations was better this year than in past years (partly due to the large corporate donations of toys for younger children, so we could focus procurement on older kid gifts). The overall burden of providing for their family at the holiday is lifted when at least part of their family can be fully supported by Holly House measures.
• Community members baked homemade cookies for the clients to enjoy while they awaited their entry in to Holly House. 
• Quite a few clients pay forward their shopping experience, and become volunteers for our event and throughout the year. This event is so important for many of our families, and we are pleased that they choose to give back. 
• Thank you to the local restaurants who provided food for the volunteers over the 3 days and to Urban City Coffee for providing coffee and cocoa to the clients

In addition to our volunteers and donors, we also give a BIG thank you to the many schools, service groups, local businesses, scout troops, churches, banks, mortgage companies, dental offices, preschools, health care companies, and book stores who gave so much to Holly House in 2015. Whether it was time, gifts, and/or financial contributions, we can't do it without all of you. We look forward to next year! 

Please take some time and visit our Facebook page to view all of the photos from the event and get a bigger picture of how this event takes shape: Holly House Year 9 album

My Edmonds News ran an article about our event which you can read here.

Volunteers at the toy booth

Please join us March 5th, 2016 for our 2nd annual fundraiser Gala, or if you can’t come please make a donation in support of our efforts. We are doing a “Mardi Gras - The Queen and Her Court” theme. Those of you who came last year to our “Alice in Wonderland” themed auction know how much fun it was. This year will be packed with even more fun and it’s a great way to support our ongoing efforts to provide for our kids.

We would like to extend a special thank you to the core volunteer group, booth managers, and their teams for the 2015 event:

Stuffed Animals: Neil Heineman

Hats & Scarves: Leslie Smith

Stockings: Janine Kirkpatrick

Toy Booth: Amy Hart, Katy Johnson, Bobbi Cacatian, Jean King

Socks/Underwear: Rylie Carter

Pajamas: Karen Orstad

Books: Ilene Jaffe, Deby Comfort, Tom Comfort

Volunteer Coordinator: Monty Reed

Registrar: Alicia Carter

Volunteer Desk: Jessie Shull

Door Guard: Errah Jurus

Site Manager: Alicia Carter
Site Coordinator: Milt Cruver

Food Coordinator: Robin Downie

Cookie Coordinator: Karen Orstad
Load up/Take down crew: Milt Cruver

Baggage Claim: Ingrid Adams

Logistics/Trucks: Nick Aldrich

Logistics/Pam's Assistant: Maria Skelton

Program Assistant: Jen Winckler

Executive Director: Pam Martinez

Thankful for laundry?

As I holler upstairs to my children to put away their piles of clean laundry, a thought strikes me about the clients of Holly House that I wanted to share here. A week's worth of laundry (or more, if I'm being honest) creates a mom's daunting task - sort, wash, fold, put away, repeat. There is SO MUCH laundry. But upon deeper thought, perhaps I should be thankful for this perceived problem. That my children have stacks of laundry to put away....that I can wait over a week to do laundry....that my children go to school with clothes that are not in ill-repair, that fit, and that are stylish.

I feel lucky to say, "Put away your laundry!"

After working with Holly House for almost 3 years now, I know our goal is to provide 2 pairs of pajamas, and 5 pairs each of socks and underwear to every child we support. This is not to boost up their "stash", or to give them something new, or give them something to open on Christmas morning. This is so they have one pair of pajamas to wear to stay warm at night, while another pair can be laundered (perhaps at a coin laundry). This is so they have a sock on each foot; so they don't have to decide between clean socks or no socks that day. This is so they have clean underwear to put on at least several days a week.

While I feel blessed that we are able to provide (sometimes in excess) for our own children, I feel inspired to pass these blessings on to those who are not in a place where they can do the same. For a family who struggles with housing, utility costs, job worries, or medical bills, things like basic necessities often just don't make the short list of where the money can go. Holly House can help put their minds at ease for this small but essential part of daily "kid life".

Won't you join me in getting these kids not just something new and fun at the holidays, but something they need to stay happy, warm, and healthy? You can shop directly from the Holly House Amazon wishlist or you can make a monetary donation online. Our goal of 5 pairs of underwear and socks for every child is a lofty one, and we'd love to be able to meet it this year - your help would be greatly appreciated.

~ Jen Winckler
Holly House volunteer & blogger

Spring Fundraiser Gala Announced - March 7th

Get your tickets before they are all gone! 

March 7th, 2015
6pm - 9pm
Mountlake Terrace Senior Center
Tickets - $35

Join us for our first ever Fundraiser Gala, "Don't be late for a very important date".  Enter our Wonderland and meet Alice, The Queen of Hearts, and the Cheshire Cat - plus have your picture taken with them!!

It is sure to be a magical evening filled with celebration and hope. There will be an exciting live auction, plus a silent auction. Get an overview of the work that we do at Holly House. Meet some of our families and hear how Holly House has helped them. Meet some of our volunteer team, and make connections with local community members.

All the while enjoying heavy hors d'oeuvres and dessert, plus a wine tasting.

We will also be selling raffle tickets for some lovely prizes. All proceeds of the event go towards operating costs for Holly House, and as our first large scale fundraiser we are hopeful it will provide much needed funds to sustain administration costs, plus storage and procurement costs of holiday gifts and necessities for the 2,000 low income children we support in the Edmonds School District.

We will have a donation collection bin available; you can bring your favorite toy, sports equipment, or even socks and underwear to add to our cause (items for teens especially needed).

Visit our special Gala page to purchase tickets online. 

If you are interested in donating any items for the auction or raffle, please email us using the Contact Us button on the right of the page, or by calling Pam Martinez at 425-673-0526.

Holly House to focus on new gifts for 2015 - retiring gently used program

Given limited resources (time, money, storage, and volunteers), we would like to focus what we have on giving our families brand new items – which is something they don't often get. Effective 12/15/14, we have discontinued our gently used program.

Beginning with our collection for the 2015 Holly House event, we ask that only NEW items be donated (with the exception of “only looked at but never cuddled” Stuffed Animals that still look new).

Clients shopping the gently used section at the 2014 event

Your gently used items (clothing, shoes, books, household goods, and toys) can still find loving homes with people in our community who need them. Investigate options such as Buy Nothing Facebook groups, Freecycle.com, craigslist.com, or other local non-profits to share those items.

Our families greatly appreciated receiving extra items over the past years, and we are faced with a tough choice to no longer offer this at Holly House. We look forward to dedicating all of our resources to giving them the best quality items and the best shopping experience while visiting Holly House in 2015.

We collect items year-round for our event in December, including:

• New Toys
• New Pajamas - warm, winter style
• Stuffed Animals - all sizes (looking new, even though they don't need to be)
• Books - New and those that look new
• New Socks and Underwear
• New Hats and Scarves
• Stocking Stuffer items (New)

The ages of the children we support is 0-17. Often the 8-17 age is less popular to buy gifts for, and has the greatest shortage.

You can donate items at any time at our year-round collection sites. As always, monetary donations are welcome, as we can use bulk buying power to buy discounted items.

Thank you for supporting Holly House!
~ Pam Martinez, Executive Director

December gift giving

We had an amazing event this year, and are very thankful to our supporters.  As we get ready to close out 2014, please consider supporting Holly House 2015 with a donation by Dec 31, 2014. All donations are tax-deductible, as we are a 501(c)(3) charity (funds are processed through our fiscal sponsor, Protocol Foundation).

Donations can be made without a Paypal account

Donate!
You can donate with a credit card via Paypal by clicking the Donate button above (you don't need a Paypal Account - see image to the right). We use bulk buying power to buy discounted toys and necessities, as well as use the funds to support our operating costs.

Some great deals can be found!

Shop!
You can also keep your eye out for after Christmas sales and clearance items. Your donations can go twice as far if you buy things at over half off! You may leave your gifts at one of our year-round drop boxes. Toys, warm winter pajamas, socks and underwear are all greatly needed by our families.

Available now: Donate via the blog

Our warehouse space is shrinking and our potential for getting more goods is growing!!

We got a pallet of toys donated to us...now, where to put it??

We are in dire need of a permanent storage solution for Holly House. Currently we have three small storage spaces (not all together), and when we get a large shipment of items it requires serious logistics to get everything to fit (and we have limited space for people to help). If you know of any open retail, warehouse, or storage spaces that would be looking to donate space to help our cause, please get them in touch with us! In addition, monetary funds donated to Holly House could go to help pay for more storage space.

 

A small example of what we COULD get, if we had the funds

We have an incredible opportunity to get a FREE truckload of toys from a partner organization. All they ask is that we cover the freight charges (a container truck from New York), at a discounted rate. This amounts to about $3,000 - which we don't currently have. The ability to get these toys would be a huge boost for us this year. (We have already received one pallet of toys from them, see photos! They have so much more to offer us than this.)

In order to get the best deals and get things arranged for the end of they year, the process starts now. Please consider donating year round to Holly House and help get us set up for December.

You may now process donations directly from the blog! Find the "Donate Now" button on the right side of the screen. Your payment will be processed securely through Paypal. (Our fiscal sponsor, MS Helping Hands, shows as the Paypal account.) 

Volunteers Jonathan and Jeff helping to sort toys and re-arrange our storage space to make room

Thank you for your support!!

Be on the lookout for deals!

Running a non-profit that supplies necessities and toys to children requires a lot of in-kind donations, but it also requires that we do some shopping from time to time to fill in the gaps. Recently, Pam Martinez, Director, suggested that we all be on the lookout for 80-90% off clearance deals on socks, toys, pajamas, and underwear, especially after the holidays and during season changeovers. This type of deep discount helps us spend the few funds that we have in the most effective way. Imagine...getting $1000 worth of items for only $100!! This is what we dream of!

One of our team members, Deby, was on high alert and noticed 80% off bins at Michael's on her way to the checkstands. She was there purchasing items for her 2nd grade classroom. She says, "I asked a clerk nearby how much they were and I was shocked! The socks were 20 cents a pair and the hats $1 - - but as a teacher I get another 15% off. I was going to get a few for Holly House but then thought I should call Pam....needless to say, we BOUGHT EVERYTHING! So...for $350 I got 261 pairs of socks and about 325 hats!!"

Last night, her husband (and Holly House team member), Tom had his own "sorting party" while she worked on her lesson plans for school. Wow, what a gift from above for our kids!!


If you would like to help fund purchases like this (or even put money towards THIS purchase!) you can easily donate through our Donate Now button now on the blog.

If you are a bargain hunter and scout amazing deals like this, please contact Pam and let her know right away! She's been known to drop everything and fill her van with clearance items when alerted to deals like this and we have the funds to purchase them. (Please be advised, all purchases should be made by Pam or pre-approved, unless you are donating the items personally. You will not be reimbursed by Holly House without prior approval).

Toy Drive spotlight - Brier Elementary

I wanted to share with you the excitement and pride that happens during a toy drive. It is easy for me to write this post, because I have been at our Brier Elementary Toy Drive every morning this week. This is the first year we have held a drive, and I wasn't sure what the reaction would be. I don't know why I was worried...

The response has been incredible, and I'm sure the same thing happened at all of the local schools holding drives. Knowing that these toys are going to go to fellow students and neighbors makes people feel at ease about donating. It gives them a sense of worth and pride to help someone so close. I knew this would be an easy thing to sell. What I didn't expect was the reaction of the children.

Every morning we had at least five 5th and 6th graders signed up to help at morning drop off (we wanted to include the kids as much as possible). This turned into a small crowd gathered around the drop box each morning. Excitement built as we brought the bin from the office to see what had accumulated since the past morning. "Oh, cool, that's a fun toy!" "Wow, look at the bin, it is overflowing!!" "How many bins does this make" "Should we move them to the car to make more room?"

You could tell that the kids bringing in toys were proud to help. Some were a little shy. Some were a little hesitant to put one of their own toys in the bin for someone else. But they all opened their backpacks and hearts and shared something with someone else. Some of the kids had nothing to give, but they were there every morning willing to help in whatever way they could. Some of these kids I know could probably use the help of Holly House themselves.

One boy (5th grade) became a cheerleader of sorts...asking kids (politely) "have you donated yet?". He also said that most everyone in his class had donated, and he even brought in extra toys so that those who hadn't could have one to donate.

One boy (a kindergartner) approached with much hesitation, saying he had brought a stuffed animal to donate. He left, but then came back. Out of his backpack he pulls out his "very favorite" stuffed animal that was securely wrapped in a knit hat for the journey. He put it in the bin and I asked him if he was sure, he said "yeah, I brought it to donate", and he had a big big smile as he walked away.

One boy said, "oh, is this the last day? I didn't get to go through my things and find something". He was there every morning giving moral support. I told him that just helping is a great gift in itself. He smiled and agreed, and he said "maybe next year".

Next year, for certain!!!

~ Jen, Holly House volunteer & Blogger

Here is the result of our Toy Drive - wow!!! It takes up the floor of our double garage

We have over 17 boxes now that the day is over!

The final week is here!

We are well on our way to opening the doors for Holly House THIS WEEKEND!!

First car load of toys from Brier Elementary Toy Drive

Donations of toys and PJ's are still greatly appreciated and needed, and can be dropped off this week at Armadillo Storage (23031 Highway 99, Edmonds) and Sparta's Pizza (17630 Hwy 99, Lynnwood).

We have found tables and all of the pieces are coming together to put on this giant event. 
Thank you all for your support!

A note from Pam Martinez (Executive Director):
"We had our last planning meeting tonight (12/9), getting all our ducks in a row for Holly House this coming weekend. The excitement is building, the donations are flooding in and we are all rolling up our sleeves for a fun but intense weekend. I have such an amazing team.

Over and over I am reminded that none of this could happen without a good and faithful God and the incredible volunteers He has given us.

It touches my heart so much to see the relief and joy the parents experience when they walk into Holly House and realize their children will be taken care of, that they will have warm clothes and pajamas, that they will have a toy to play with and books to read. That they will have toothpaste and a tooth brush. Our kids deserve so much and what a privilege it is to be part of an amazing gift, this thing called Holly House. "

Countdown - less than 2 weeks to go!

As everyone starts to prepare for the holidays, we are busy as bees at Holly House ensuring we are ready for our families at our shopping event. We are within 2 weeks of our date, and are still in need of many donations! Perhaps you want to organize a pajama or toy drive with your friends, family, or work group? Please spread the word! Feel free to leave a comment here if you plan to surprise us with some last minute donations!

We have a growing number of people who need the items we provide, and we would love to be able to support all of them this year.

Our PJ sorting party in 2011

Right now we need more:

• Pajamas (ages infant - 10 years old)
• Toys (ages infant - 17 years old) 
• Socks and underwear (ages infant - 17 years old)

You can drop them at any of our pre-arranged drop boxes, or contact us to arrange a large drop off!

Walmart toy drive 11/30

Holly House Toy and Pajama Drive at the Lynnwood Walmart (on 164th ST)

Look for the toy displays throughout the store! There will be a collection site at the front of the store. Help fill up the van!
Black Saturday - November 30, 2013 - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

 

Schools supporting us with toy drives

Neighborhood schools in the Edmonds School District are gearing up for toy and pajama drives to support Holly House! What a great way for children to get involved - perhaps helping a neighbor or schoolmate without even realizing it. We can't wait to see the bins fill up at the local schools like the one in progress at Fred Meyer in Lynnwood (pictured below)

Schools doing Drives for Holly House 2013

 

Meadowdale Elementary – Toys

Terrace Park Elementary – Toys   

Brier Elementary – Toys & Pajamas

Lynnwood Elementary - Toys

 

Beverly Elementary – Stuffed Animals

College Place Middle – Stuffed Animals

 

Mountlake Terrace Elementary – Sock, Underwear

Mountlake Terrace High – Socks, Underwear, Pajamas

Meadowdale High – Pajamas, Toys

If your school or PTA would like to get involved, please use the Contact Us form on the Home page. We welcome any and all contributions, and setting up a drive can be a fun, easy way to boost holiday spirit at your school. We currently are able to support 15 schools in the district with our program. How amazing would it be to have enough supply to support them all?!

The giving spirit with Holly House

The Mountlake Terrace Senior Center continues to bring in gifts for our children

At Holly House, we are thankful every day for our amazing volunteers and members of the community who bring donations for the many children we help. My Edmonds News (an online newspaper) just wrote an article about ways to emphasize thankfulness and the spirit of giving with your children during the holidays. Check out the article for a great idea on how to do this! Included in this was to consider donating to Holly House. We are so grateful for their recognition of Holly House as being a noteworthy local non-profit!

Kids loved helping choose toys to "fill the ship" during our 2012 Treasure Island Pirates toy drive at Walmart

Children helping other children is a beautiful thing. We would love to hear how you get your children involved with your own family's giving to Holly House. Do you have them select toys? Are they part of a toy drive? Do they help volunteer? Please leave a comment below and share your ideas!

Unwanted Halloween candy?

Candy, candy and more candy. Thank you Jodie, Annie, Ingrid and all the rest of you whose names I don't know that have donated your leftover Halloween Candy to Holly House. We have 2,000 stocking to put candy in for our kids. This is giving us a good start.

We still need a lot more. Keep that candy coming!

New and gently used stuffed animals needed

Have you outgrown your stuffed animals? Are you ready to give them up? Every year we give our kids a stuffed animal in their stocking and one to hug. That totals up to 4,000 stuffed animals every year.

We are on the hunt for stuffed animals of any size and looking like new, even though they may not be. See our Drop off locations tab to find a place to bring your stuffed animals, and give them a new loving home.